The invention concerns a device for the arrangement of the heating and/or air conditioning installation in the passenger space of an automobile.
FR-A-2,473,430, shows a device which comprises a housing containing components for the treatment of the air to be transmitted to a first series of discharge outlets directed toward the passenger space and to a second series of discharge outlets directed onto the windshield, with one part of the first series of discharge outlets being connected rigidly and in one single block with the housing. In this housing, the components for treatment of the air are particularly a fan, a radiator for heating the air and shutters for both mixing and distribution of the air.
This known device does not include discharge outlets coming into the lateral areas of the passenger space, nor does it have discharge outlets directed toward the windshield for the deicing and defrosting of the windshield.
Therefore it is necessary to provide such outlets on other components of the vehicle, such as, for instance, on the dashboard.
Thus, after assembly and mounting of the device and the dashboard on the vehicle, the outlets which are arranged on the dashboard must be connected to the device by flexible ducting arrangements, and this must occur during assembly line fabrication of the vehicle.
This handling stage is long and difficult because the flexible ducting arrangements are often difficult to fit into place as a result of the lack of available space between the device and the dashboard.
Besides, because of their flexibility, the ducting arrangements can be in contact with certain elements of the vehicle so that, during operation of said vehicle, said contact can be the source of repeated impact shocks to said ducting arrangements when they engage against said elements, thus generating noises which are disturbing to the comfort of the driver.
Moreover, as a result of these repeated shocks, the flexible ducting arrangements can eventually be pierced and thus lose a part of their capacity to perform properly while also inhibiting effective operation of the installation.